London-based blockchain infrastructure company Calimero Network has raised $8.5 million in a seed round co-led by Khosla Ventures, Lyrik Ventures and Near Foundation.

The round, which closed in December 2022, also sees participation from GSR, FJ Labs and Warburg Serres among others, according to a company release.

Calimero Network was spun-out of the Near protocol, a high performance blockchain that launched on mainnet in 2020.

Sharding is splitting up a blockchain into several smaller networks, for use by individual companies. Calimero enables companies to store information on private shards while also enabling them to interact with the public blockchain.

The startup is currently targeting the Near ecosystem but is also exploring the Ethereum Virtual Machine ecosystem through Aurora, a Layer 2 scaling solution in Near that enables Ethereum compatibility.

Calimero offers a console, which is currently in closed alpha, that enables the management of private shards as well as an enterprise solution that is focused more on helping web2 companies scale up with customization and support options.

The fundraising structure used was equity plus token warrants. It closed in two parts having raised from VCs in July 2022 and then securing additional capital from the Near Foundation in December.